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Well, the previous article was about Gainesville, Ga. really stretched my idea of a Small Town. I hope this atones for that sin. This one is not only small, but it keeps with one of the motifs of that article, Railroad. This time I’m traveling northward, only a few miles north of the Mason-Dixon Line into Pennsylvania

Yes, a railroad runs through the small borough of Railroad, Pa. The borough boasts a population of just a few hundred, a Church or two and a BnB. Of course there is the ‘required’ antique ship for any small country town.

The rail line was built from Baltimore, Md. to Harrisburg, Pa. but today the rail line is almost unused. But for about 45 miles along the tracks from Baltimore to York, Pa the Rails to Trails Conversancy has worked to build multi-use trail. I’ve cycled the entire route a few times, but only about half at a time. Besides bicycling the NCR trail as it is known in Maryland and the York Heritage trail in Pennsylvania caters to many other activities. Hiking, horseback riding, dog walking, or just enjoying fresh air and seeing nature.

But today’s photos are only of one town, more of a borough in Pennsylvania. This one actually got it’s name from the railroad, “RAILROAD”, so says the great authority on all such things, Wikipedia.

The biggest building in Railroad, and in the summer it is probable the liveliest place in town is the Jackson House B&B. It sits adjacent to the trail and railroad tracks

Across the street, the only street in town is an old building that looks to have been some sort of wearhouse.

Just up the road is a curious barn with a couple “horses”.

My first walk through Railroad was just before Holloween, these flags were the only decorations I saw, but there were steps leading to … could that be a haunted house?

Ah yes, the town postoffice and the General Store Clock – which doesn’t seem to keep the right time.

I’ve warned you, I don’t take the normal tourist photos, two more.

What happens on the trail? Why walking and cycling!

And the occasional train! I’ll close with a short video of some activity on in Railroad.

Where’s my next stop? You’ll have to keep guessing for a month or so. I think I know, I’ve been working on it but I like to seep some surprises in store for you.

As the about page says, I’ll be roaming around, this time I’ve headed south into Georgia to the town of Gainesville. It’s not on my normal route, and I didn’t take the time to get photos of other small towns on this trip, maybe next time. You’ll have to excuse me for straying from my original goal of small town photo walks. Yes Gainesville, Ga calls itself a small town, but it’s not small by what I was thinking, but I was there and strolled around some of the historic area with my camera. Truly small and tiny towns will reappear next time.

The last town was Gratitude, this is another town that starts with “G “Gainesville, one small town that claims to the the Chicken Capitol of the World, there is even a story that one woman was arrested for using a knife and fork, chicken Is meant to be eaten with one’s fingers!. But the was exonerated by a compassionate judge when he found out that she was 91. The day I was in Gainesville I was with my son and though the early morning was comfortable the weather was clear and sunny and soon walking around town became less than comfortable. As we arrived in Gainesville we found a convenient place to park and quickly spotted “209” a 2-10-0 steam locomotive and tender that at one time belonged to the Gainesville Midland Railroad. Also at that site were a Caboose and Baggage Car. We spent a while there getting photos from all sorts of angles, and a bonus, one Geocache.

Headlight

The Drivers

What else but a RED Caboose

Roof Braces on what could have been the old Railroad Station

As we continued wandering the streets Gainesville we crossed through the Green Street-Brenau Historic District and spotted the statue of “Old Joe”. I won’t go into the controversy about this statue, so you’ll have to read a couple of accounts for yourself. Is “Old Joe” a Rebel? and Another Story of Old Joe

Old Joe

Then on to the business district and some miscellaneous shots.

Chicken on the roof

Some old store roof lines

Sunday morning coffee on the street

Looking north-east on Washington St

Next we strolled over to the more modern government center for more photos and our second Geocache find of the day.

The best looking stairs for a parking garage I’ve ever seen

One entrance to the CourthouseA lone flower outside the Courthouse

In a memorial plaza in the Government center

The day was getting hot so as we crossed this bridge to return to our car and head home.

The bridge to Nowhere

What small-tiny towns will I find next? I’ve got the next one in the works, another one with a railroad motif, but that’s all I say for now. Beyond that I won’t say what’s up my sleeve. They are much smaller towns than this. I’m keeping my eyes peeled and the camera ready. Stay tuned for more of my travels.

Again I’m out roaming around the backroads of Maryland. Rock Hall seems to be the end of the road, but if you take a right turn to head north in a mile or so you come to the real end of the road in a small village I’ve only known as Gratitude. Really, Gratitude may only be a part of Rock Hall but I think of it as it’s own village. There isn’t much going on there but boating, and from the looks of the marinas, mainly sailing.

As I drove down Beach Road one of the residents just stood in the middle of the road till I parked, then ambled over to greet me, he must have been the mayor. After that he slowly walked back to the center of the road, and strode leisurely toward home.

My walking tour, not much over a mile round trip brought me from calm water in one of the harbors to the other end of town at the Gratitude Marina. The weekend I was there was just before Halloween, yes some of the homes were decorated appropriately.

Some of the homes that were not decorated, but had interesting an charming looks to them, time for more photos.

This is the next post in a new series I call Small Towns, Tiny Towns. We all pass through some of these when we’re out driving in the countryside. Some readers may actually live in one. Often we just think of them as wide spots in the road. in the past many of them were thriving communities but today they are relegated to just a small dot on the map, if they are even marked. Most if not all of them residents that are proud of the town and do their best to keep its memory alive.

The next couple paragraphs are from the About page.

Small towns, even tiny towns fascinate me – the kind that could be called “wide spots in the Road”. Sometimes they will hardly show up on Google Maps, most of the time they will be villages that earn a dot or circle on maps. I have no schedule but I hope to make a posting at least monthly, but no promises. I will be roaming in Maryland, and surrounding states from time to time and just taking photos, roughly at random. There is a lot to see in nowhere’ville. I’ll be wandering around with no real destination in mind, and taking shots from odd points of view, not the typical tourist view. So get ready to see some different views.

Places that interest me include: Sykesville, Galesville, Chestertown, Queenstown, Stevenstown – all in Maryland, as well as some in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, the Carolina’s, and possibly Georgia. If you have a favorite you’d like to see please send me a comment and I’ll see if it fits into my travels.

This trip took me to Detour, Md. A Google search will only lead you to the Detour Winery and a UrbanDictornary entry that isn’t too flatteing, so I’m skipping that.

Yes, there is a community called Detour in Maryland. Detour is in western Carroll County. The eastern edge of the town us bordered by a single railroad track. Trains still pass through, but on a very irregular schedule. The two old warehouses are falling into decay.

There is one Deli, it’s the only place in town to get a bite to eat.

Yes, a Barn-Star

Hardly enough water to float a kayak.

Big Pipe Creek and Little Pipe Creek form the western border of downtown Detour. Downstream from the confluence of the two creeks, and off to the Monocacy River it’s known as the Double Pipe Creek. When I last visited the Double Pipe Creek Park very little water was flowing, and two kayak paddlers, after exploring for a possible put-in, turned and headed north to a lake in Pennsylvania that held plenty of water.

On the map downtown Detour looks like it’s about 1/10 mile square, but the surrounding countryside with colorful farms and at least one old mill.

in the countryside within a couple miles of downtown

Somehow I missed the winery that takes its name from the town. I won’t let that happen again.

Where will I head next? So far I’ve featured both Carroll and Frederick Counties in Maryland. Probably I’ll head more south and see what I can find. If you have any suggestions, leave them in a comment.

This trip brought me to the village of Galesville, one of two village on the West River about 10 miles south of Annapolis. There are a couple small rivers below Annapolis, MD the South River, which runs west from the bay and south of that the West River, which runs mainly south off the bay. Got that straight? South is west and West is south. I’m focusing my travels to small towns and villages, mainly in the mid-Atlantic states, looking for really small, tiny towns in out-of-the-way places.

All along the shores of the Chesapeake Bay one can find small villages on the rivers and creeks. One that I saw many times in my younger days is Galesville. My father’s passion was sailing so after a day’s cruise, when my brother and sisters were not busy on the boat we’d row ashore and explore. If it was a Sunday morning we’d row ashore and walk about half a mile to attend Mass said by a priest that rode “the circuit” from one village to the next. Not many Marylanders know about Galesville. Most of them that do approach this small town on the West River by boat.

Arriving from the Chesapeake this is the first view of Galesville

Here’s a bit of history I found when searching for a Geocache. yes I found the cache on this trip.

Nestled between Tenthouse and Lerch Creeks on the north and south, and Route 468 and the West River on the west and east, Galesville has always held a special place for those who have visited here. Galesville is a village which encompasses not only residential but commercial, recreational and industrial areas. Some of the businesses are still run by descendents of the founders — Hartge Yacht Yard, Hardesty Funeral Home, Smith Brothers Pile Driving, and Purner Well Drilling. Watermen and farmers have long populated the small village of Galesville and we welcome you to our home on the West River.

I didn’t know how to get to it by road for most of my life, I’d sailed into it with my parents on their Kings Cruiser. and here My dad’s boat had “US 45” on the mainsail. We would anchor in the West River then row the dinghy ashore to a fantastic restaurant, well anytime we went ashore to eat it seemed better than the food cooked over a 2-burner Primus stove on the boat. Today that restaurant is the Pirates Cove Restaurant. I’ll admit that I haven’t eaten there since the late ’50s.

Today I mainly go to Galesville launch my kayak for a paddle up the West River or across to Shady Side. Or I bicycle to Galesville with the Annapolis Bicycle Club. Most of those rides had one destination, a General Store for fresh Cranberry Muffins right out of the oven, but that store has closed, now it’s a Real Estate office. It was the only source of groceries for miles. I remember the charm of the Potbelly stove with the Barber Chair in the back where people would gather to eat, and the lever operated Coke machine. I wish I had some photos of it, but alas the easy to use digital camera hadn’t been popularized yet.

What follows is a few photos from a Photo Walk on a recent trip to Galesville.

Boats waiting high and dry for next season

Stuff in the boatyard, these are the stands that boats will rest on while ashore

“I wish I was out there”

Waiting for the crews to row out to sailboats moored in the harbor.

Old buildings now used by yacht brokerages.

Pier used by visitors and fisherman.

A nautical themed sculpture in the town park.

Artwork

The garden in the Galsville Heritage Center

A few old buildings

A shady land on one of the stately mansions (does this one really need a capton)

The Quaker Cemetery at the east end of Galaville.

Where will I end up next time, I’m not sure yet. I normally keep my camera handy, or I’ll take note of an interesting place and head back soon. I have some ideas, if you have a favorite place you think would look good here, let me know in a comment.

This is the first post in a new series I call Small Towns, Tiny Towns. We all pass through some of these when we’re out driving in the countryside. Some readers may actually live in one. Often we just think of them as wide spots in the road. in the past many of them were thriving communities but today they are relegated to just a small dot on the map, if they are even marked. Most if not all of them residents that are proud of the town and do their best to keep its memory alive.

The next couple paragraphs are from the About page.

Small towns, even tiny towns fascinate me – the kind that could be called “wide spots in the Road”. Sometimes they will hardly show up on Google Maps, most of the time they will be villages that earn a dot or circle on maps. I have no schedule but I hope to make a posting at least monthly, but no promises. I will be roaming in Maryland, and surrounding states from time to time and just taking photos, roughly at random. There is a lot to see in nowhere’ville. I’ll be wandering around with no real destination in mind, and taking shots from odd points of view, not the typical tourist view. So get ready to see some different views.

Places that interest me include: Sykesville, Galesville, Chestertown, Queenstown, Stevenstown – all in Maryland, as well as some in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, the Carolina’s, and possibly Georgia. If you have a favorite you’d like to see please send me a comment and I’ll see if it fits into my travels.

Now on to the first of what I hope will be a long running series

New Market, Maryland

New Market once was a thriving village on the National Road and the Gateway to the West. but today it is mainly a mecca for Antique hunters. But in 1954, U.S. Route 40 moved a mile or so south, more recently US-40 was swallowed up by I-70. Most east-west traffic bypasses New Market. The 2010 census counted a bit over 600 residents. Known locally as “The Antique Capitol of Maryland” New Market in eastern Frederick County

Before I get away from the National Pike let me add a few links to its history.

Late in June 1863, the Union Army of the Potomac pursued Gen. Robert
E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia as it invaded the North less than
a year after the Antietam campaign. On Monday June 29, the Federal
Corps marched northward toward Pennsylvania on parallel roads like the
fingers of a glove, after being ordered to tay between and he large
Northern cities.
…
General George Sykes marched northeastward along present day Rte.26 to
Liberty and Unionville. Gen John Sedgwick’s VI Corps, which guarded
the army’s right flank move by here (New Market) to Mount Airy and
Westminster, reaching Manchester on June 30. Then next day the corps
began an epic 34-mile march to Gettysburg and arrived late in the
afternoon of July 2.
—
A soldier in the 37th Massachusetts Infantry, VI Corps, later wrote
that on entering New Market, “two or three young ladies were
discovered standing in front of their home waving small Union
flags. It was an electrifying sight\, and the enthusiasm which had
pervaded the troops in advance was emphasized from the strong throats
of the Thirty-seventh. There was no question that they were in the
land of friends.

The photos are at random, but show some of the old buildings and how they look now. We’ll start at the Town Hall. There’s no order to these, just a photo-stroll one Sunday afternoon.